Saving the Damned
by opera777
Summary: Hermione stood in the great hall her mind in a dither. How was she going to save her future and his life?


Hermione stood alone in the great hall. Her mind was all dither, a whir with thoughts, she had to get to him. How? She couldn't believe she just left him there. It was cruel. It was heartless and it was completely beyond her. She ran rescue scenario after rescue scenario through her head tossing out the useless ones. Then she saw McGonagall alone for a moment with her thoughts. And realized this was her chance, the window was so small a doxy could have barely fit through it.

"Professor?"

"Oh Hermione!" She said jumping and then letting her shoulders sag. " I mean Miss Granger are you all right? Are you injured?"

"No I'm fine. . . it's Severus we have to go and get him." _Watch it Hermione! Don't go and blow the top off the whole thing before you've had a chance to ask for help. Be more slytherin about it._

"I mean- Professor Snape is in the shrieking shack and he's injured we have to help him." she amended.

"Well, he can rot there for all I care." The older woman spat and turned to walk away.

"Please, Professor. " She pleaded. "All is not as it seems. If you have any love left in your heart for the little boy from Manchester who had the shite luck of being sorted into slytherin that day instead of Gryffindor. . ._Please_ help me."

Minerva looked at the intelligent girl who was just more than a student to her but a treasured friend. _Maybe even a daughter. _ Perhaps she was just exhausted, and Merlin was she tired._ But_ there was something in this girls eyes that pleaded for her to help and she knew she would. _There must be more to this Granger doesn't lie, she's horrible at it._

Hermione watched the inner struggle raged it's way across her teacher's eyes. _Please he doesn't deserve this._ _He's alone. _She begged silently.

"What potions do you think we'll need, Miss Granger." Minerva sighed

Relief flooded her, "Blood replenishing, we'll need lots of those. Maybe an antivenin, but that snake was rather young for a basilisk."

"Snake?"

"Riddle ordered Nagini to attack." she replied.

"Oh dear Merlin! All right grab what you can Granger! Dittany! Bandages we'll do this the muggle way if we have to."

Hermione nodded and ran off to find what she needed while McGonagall grabbed as many potions as she could. At one point she was certain she just grabbed anything she could lay her hands on.

"Got every thing?" Hermione nodded, "Take these then and I'll apparate us." she said shoving the potions in her hands.

"Come along Miss Granger you'll likely splinch yourself."

She apparated them just outside the shrieking shack and they ran inside. Mentally Hermione braced herself for what state she might find him in. As they raced up the stairs the professor steeled herself this may be her chance to avenge Dumbledore's' murder or at least deliver him to the order. _If there is anything left to deliver._

Whatever resolve she had worked up, dissolved the second she crossed the last step. He looked helpless and every bit the little skinny dark haired boy who was more gryffindor than he would loathe to admit to.

"Oh, my dear boy." She whispered running to his side.

Hermione was only a second or two behind her. Her heart thundering in her ears, _Merlin, please let us not be too late. _He was still in the same position she had dragged him up into, but he seemed a little straighter now as if he had managed to move some on his own. He forced his eyes open he saw Minerva first.

"Min'- " he rasped, and gave her a look of apology.

"Should have known. I won that duel far too easily."

Then he turned his gaze painfully to the other in the room.

"Hermione, " he breathed unable able to give voice, "Love,"

"Shh, Severus I'm here." she whispered taking his hand and kissing his forehead, ignoring the look Minerva was giving them.

Hiding a smile that wouldn't leave her eyes, "Blood replenishing."

"Of course, " Hermione replied opening her bag and handing over the vial.

"Come on, Severus down the hatch." she said tipping the contents down his throat, "That's a good lad. Quickly Granger keep them coming you know the drill by now I'm sure."

Almost automatically Hermione pulled the correct vials from her bag and handed them over and then watched in turn as each were poured down his throat.

"It's the best we can do for now, Miss Granger." Minerva said standing. "We have to return to the castle. And we can't let on Severus is still here or there may not be enough pieces left."

"Mi, go." he rasped, "You have to finish this or there will be no life for us."

"Don't you leave me Severus Snape."

He weakly lifted his hand and brushed it against her face, "Sweetheart."

"Miss Granger!"

"Do something for me, Severus?"

"What?" his irritation showing.

"Come up with a name for our daughter." she said kissed him and ran out of the shrieking shack.

Hermione lay beside him on his bed at Spinners End. It had been 8 days since the end of the war and he had been asleep for all of them. The healers had said it was a good thing, nothing better than a deep healing sleep.

Hermione couldn't fault their logic. She herself had been given a similar prescription, and a barrage of prenatal potions and nutritional droughts to make up for the state of mal nourishment that she was in. She had almost laughed out loud when she realized all of her potions had been made by Severus himself. _At least I don't have to worry about that._

Since finding out the truth everyone had been strangely quiet around her, she figured no one had known how to broach the subject. Here she was nearly 19 and pregnant with the baby of a man whom no one was really sure whose side he was on. Of course Hermione herself knew, she had known everything from nearly the beginning. But knowing and defending him were proving to be two very different things entirely; one infinitely harder than the other had been. Plus the seemingly unspoken fact that said man was nearly 19 years her senior and had been her teacher. But there were those who were brave enough to talk to her about it.

Well mostly Harry - Ron had been a whole other matter to deal with. But he had wanted to know too much, how their relationship had come about, why, how were they able to maintain it, did she divulge secrets, when had she conceived. It was too much. They wanted too much. But rather than face it head on, like she knew she should, she was here beside her man, waiting for him to awaken and avoiding everyone. Except Minerva it was almost as if she had accepted it for what it was and had decided to let it be for now, or she was just more patient waiting for her moment when both Hermione and Severus would have to answer for themselves.

Hermione hoped it was a little more of the former and less of the latter. Sometimes Hermione wondered if all the questions and the interrogations were being directed at her because everyone would have been too cowardly to ask had Severus been awake. Whatever their reasons everyone would just have to wait she had far more pressing matters to attend to.

She felt a flutter, and rubbed her hand over her belly. Although she was certainly showing, she knew the baby wasn't big enough yet for her to feel a kick. But every now and then she would get a flutter, letting her know that everything was just fine. Hermione smiled and turned her attention back on her dark prince, comfortably tucked in among white sheets and pillows slumbering in a ray of sunshine that had fought it's way in through the window. Such a contradiction. He stirred and slowly opened his eyes, she smiled at him and he never saw a more beautiful sight.

"Hi"

"Hi"

"Maria."

"What?"

"I want to name our daughter Maria."

She smiled and laughed, "Maria it is then."

"I'll leave the second name up to you." He rasped.

"Eileen."

"But. . ."

"Is that alright?"

"Yes. She would like that."

"Maria Eileen, that's pretty."

"Hermione? Will you marry me?"

"Yes."

"Kiss me?"

"Merlin yes."

She leaned over and gently kissed him, he smiled. She reached down and grabbed his hand and placed it on her belly and it fluttered.

"Hello, my precious one." He said and then looking at Hermione again, he kissed her.

"How do you feel?" She asked softly.

"Like I've been attacked by a giant snake." He said giving her a wry smirk as he drifted back to sleep

~~fin~~

A/N: So this was just a little bit of fluff that wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it. ( nice to se my muse decided to come back from vacation ) hope you liked it ! If you did please leave me a review!


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